{
  "id": 11735188,
  "title": "An officers use of Flock cameras was unconstitutional, judge rules",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/an-officers-use-of-flock-cameras-was-unconstitutional-judge-rules",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T17:06:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mashable",
    "slug": "mashable",
    "url": "https://mashable.com/tech/flock-cameras-ruled-unconstitutional-surveillance"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A federal judge has ruled that the use of Flock cameras by a Tulsa County Deputy Sheriff was unconstitutional. The judge, Sara E. Hill, found that the officer's actions constituted an unconstitutional warrantless search. The case involved a woman named Melisa Kyle, who was arrested for possession of methamphetamine. The officer's use of Flock's cross-state network of cameras to track Kyle's vehicle without probable cause was deemed illegal. Hill, who is also a former attorney general for the Cherokee Nation, described the officer's actions as \"indiscriminate mass surveillance,\" a phrase she used to highlight the invasive nature of the police activity. The ruling is one of the first to address Flock as a sophisticated tracking system. Flock, a company that provides the technology for automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), has been under scrutiny for its potential to invade privacy. Previous rulings had not found ALPRs to violate the Fourth Amendment, but this ruling is expected to challenge that precedent. Law enforcement agencies across the country have been criticized for using Flock cameras to stalk and harass individuals and surveil various groups, including activists, religious groups, and police critics. Despite these concerns, Flock's spokesperson had previously stated that the ruling would likely be appealed and overturned. However, this recent decision could mark a significant step forward in limiting the use of ALPRs by federal agencies. In response to the ruling, Senator Bernie Sanders, along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jeff Merkley, introduced the Ban Flock Act, which seeks to impose strict restrictions on the use of ALPRs. The bill is seen as a significant step towards protecting privacy in the age of AI-enabled surveillance.",
  "summary": "A federal judge ruled a deputy's use of Flock data to apprehend a suspect, and the proliferation of ALPRs at large, amounts to \"indiscriminate mass surveillance.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "Tulsa County Deputy Sheriff's Flock camera use deemed unconstitutional by Judge Sara E. Hill",
    "Officer's actions described as \"indiscriminate mass surveillance\" by former Cherokee Nation AG",
    "Flock technology under scrutiny for potential privacy invasion, ruling may limit ALPR use"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}